Spring-spoke wheel.



P. HINKBL.

SPRING SPOKE WHEEL APYLIOATION FILED 113.4, 1914.

1,121,501 'Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

WITNESSES l @www of the corrugated type which are hingedly-l ,connectedwith the hub and rimof the ETER HINKEL, OF ASHLAND, KENTUCKY.

SPRING-stione WHEEL Specification of` Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 15,v1914.

Application filed February 4i, 1914. Serial No. 816,471.

To all 'whom 'it may concern Y Be it known that I, .PETER HIKEL, 'acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Ashland, in the countyof Boyd and State of Kentucky, have invented anew' and ImprovedSpring-Spoke Wheel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactde-' scription.

rlhis invention relates to Vehicle wheels of.

to be-reliable and eiicient in use, comparatively ineXpensive tomanufacture, and of` durable and substantial design.

Another4 object of the invention is the provision of a4 wheel havingspring spokes wheel, the hub being of novel construction, in that it ismade ofparts interfitting and receiving the inner ends of the spokeswhich are pivotally .bolted thereto, the bolts servingto hold the partsof the hubto'gether.

lWith such objects in view, and others which will appear 'as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, such as will be set forth withparticularity inthe following description and claim appended hereto.

In' the accompanying drawing, which illustrates certain' embodiments ofthe invention, and wherein similar characters of reference indicate'corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a side view of thespring spoke wheel, with a'portion broken away; Fig. 2 is a verticalsection taken through the axis of the wheel; and Fig. 3 is 'a modifiedform of spoke.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the rim or felly of the wheelwhich is of any desired construction, that shown being of channelcross-section so as to form a groove or seat for the solidrubber tire 2,although it is to be understood hat a metal tire or tread element maybeemployed. On

`7 fit.

the inner face 'of the rimvl are a plurality of brackets 3 suitablyspaced apart and fastened in place by rivets 4, each bracket having apair of spaced lugs 5 between which the outer ends or eyes'G of the.spokes Passing through' the eyes 6 4of the spokes and through the lugs 5ofthe brackets 3 are bolts 8 which serve to vhingedly fasten the 'spokesto `he rir'n.

The hub '9 is made in two sectionsA and B separable on a planetransverse to the axis of the hub, and one section has an annular Itongue 10 which ts into a correspondingly shaped groove 11, whereby thetwo sections interlock and are kept in concentric relation. -By 'makingthe hub in two sections the spring spokes 7 are easily connected"therewith The inner ends of the spokes are formed into eyes '12 whichfit between `langes 13 and 14 onthe sections A and B,

respectively, and through these eyes and ianges pass bolts 15 that formnot only piv` votal connections between the spokes and hub, but serve tofasten the sections of ,the

hub together. The spokes 7 are -made of flat strip spring metalcorrugated. rIfhe spokes may have two oppositely disposed corru-4gations as shown in Fig. 1, or more, as

vshown in Fig. 3. By means of these spokes the hub can occupy apositionleccentric .to the felly and thereby resiliently support thevehicle or load placed on the hub. spokes under tlie hub are subjectedto compression while those over th'e h ub are under expansion, and atthe same time the hub is free Vto yield in a horizontal plane whenblowsare imparted to the felly. f

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingydrawings, the advantages of the construction' and method of operationwill be readily understood by those skilled -in the art to which theinvention appertains, and while 'Ihave described the device which I nowconsider to have it understood that the device shown is The merelyillustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired `as are-within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I

'claim as new and desire to secure by Letgroove and the other a tonguearranged to enterA the groove, peripheral flanges, vone on each section,whereby an rAnnuler groove is provided around the hub at a point beyondthe said tongueI and groove above referred to, radlally disposedsinoidnl spokes having eyes disposed in said annular groove and each eyebeing of such dimension as to extend from one peripheral flange to theotherpvhereby relative lateral movement of the inner ends of the spokesand hub is prevented, 4bolts passing through flongesand the annulargroove and through the eyes of the spokes for fastening the two sectionsof the hub together, with the ton ue of one section entered in thegroove ot the other section and servingto fasten the spokes to the hub,n rim.' and pivotal connections be* l tween the rman'd outer ends of thespokes.

In testimonj) whereof I have signedmy name to this specification inthepresenoe of 20 two subscribing Witnesses.

PETER HINKEL.

vVit-nesses: e

J. H. BRERELE'PIE,Y P. J. KELLEY,

opies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Cominissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. 0.

